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Orruks are savage, muscle-bound creatures who live for the crash and crunch of battle. Ironjawz are the mightiest of their number, clad in thick plates of rusted metal and wielding huge jagged weapons forged from the same. They are a constant threat across the Mortal Realms, sweeping across the earth in great hordes and smashing everything in their path. Gurzag Ironskull and his lads were trapped in the Mirrored City decades ago, after an ill-fated looting spree amidst the ruins of Shadespire. Ironskull was initially furious, but in the years since he’s grown rather fond of the place; after all, what self-respecting orruk would decline an endless cycle of violence and bloodshed?

Gurzag Ironskull

Gurzag has come to appreciate the Mirrored City, for in all the years he has spent trapped here, he has never run out of things to smash.

Bonekutta

Bonekutta might not be the most cunning of orruks, but he makes up for his lack of wits with a seemingly boundless capacity for gleeful violence.

Basha

Even by the low standards of orruks, Basha is particularly lacking in subtlety, bludgeoning his foes to smithereens in a hail of blows.

Hakka

Hakka aspires to lead his own warband one day – after all, bosses get the best loot.

Play Style

Ironjawz are tough to kill and hit hard in combat, so they excel at soaking up damage and dishing out more in return. Each fighter becomes Inspired once they are wounded, so they thrive where the fighting is thickest. While this is unsubtle on the surface, there are many card combinations that can specialise the Ironjawz for different styles of play, so it pays to grab some early Glory Points to spend on gubbinz.

The Ironjawz may lack mobility and sheer weight of numbers, but each fighter is a serious close combat threat, and with the kunnin’ use of ploys and upgrades Gurzag and his boyz become truly formidable.

Tips and Tricks

The power cards in Shadespire allow you to double down on the main strengths of the Ironjawz and squeeze the most out of every activation. Cards which enhance their natural survivability and damage output are very potent, and it is well worth scoring a few objective cards before committing your forces in full. Once powered up, Gurzag Ironskull becomes a real wrecking ball, able to deal fatal damage to any opposing fighter and (with the help of cards like ‘Unkillable’ and ‘On Your Feet’) shrug off blows that would normally kill him. Don’t overlook Ironskull’s henchmen though, as each one gets much better once inspired, and their threat radius can be increased with upgrades such as extra speed and ranged attacks.

With a warband that mainly thrives on hitting things, any sneaky methods of getting more chances to attack work very well. Consider bringing cards which trigger immediate extra Attack actions, and any that allow you to affect fighter positioning. With the Ironjawz being relatively slow, the ability to nudge friendly or enemy fighters by even a single hex can make all the difference for that crucial charge, or for shifting your opponent off objectives that are out of your reach.